Phone 310.533.6977
Toll Free
886.423.9959
Beverly Hills, CA
Wells
Fargo Building
433 North Camden Drive, Suite 400
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Carson, CA
Pacific
Business Bank Building
510 W. Carson Street, Suite 102
Carson, CA 90745
About Us
Email
Us
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OBTAINING
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U.S. CITIZENSHIP
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IMMIGRANT STATUS
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VISAS
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Immigration Services at the
Law Offices of James Drew Lawson
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Naturalization
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Naturalization
is the process of becoming a United States citizen
through application to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
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Permanent Residence ("Green Card")
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An
immigrant is a permanent resident alien of the United States.
Such individuals are issued what is commonly referred to as a
"green card". Permanent residence is available through family
sponsored immigration. Immigrants have most rights of U.S. citizens, but may not vote in any U.S.
election. Permanent resident status is to be distinguished from
non-immigrant visa status, which permits the holder to enter the United States,
but not to stay permanently. A non-immigrant may remain in the United States
only for a fixed period and must then depart. Nonimmigrants generally
hold nonimmigrant visas when they arrive in the U.S.
They are usually issued I-94 Arrival Departure Cards to evidence their
status.
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B-1 Business Visitor Visas
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The
essential element of a business visitor visa is that the alien's salary
must be paid by the foreign company, not a United States company.
These visas continue to be issued under the "Visa Waiver Pilot
Program" first established in 1986.
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E-1 and E-2 Treaty Traders and Investors Visas
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Generally
available only to nationals of countries that have the requisite treaty
with the United
States. These visas are intended to
promote international trade by allowing travel into the United States by persons who are
investing in the United
States or are "trading"
here.
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H-1 Visas
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Available
to aliens for specialty occupations, such as nurses, accountants,
engineers, architects, etc. The H-1 visa is relatively easy for an
alien such as an accountant or engineer to obtain because the statute
defines these fields as qualifying professions. Other fields are more
difficult to qualify and require a good showing as to how the alien is
considered to be in a specialty occupation. Note that annual quotas
apply for this category of visa.
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L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visas
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Typically
available to managers, executives or those with specialized knowledge.
For aliens who, in the three-year period preceding the time of his or
her application for admission to the United States, has been employed
continuously for one year by a firm, corporation or legal entity or
affiliate or subsidiary and who seeks to enter the U.S. in order to
continue to render his or her services to the same employer or a
subsidiary or affiliate thereof.
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O Visas
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Available
to aliens with extraordinary ability in the arts (including
entertainment), sciences, education, business and athletics.
Appropriate where ability is demonstrated by acclaim or achievement.
This visa permits admission of support staff and those critical to
performance by the O visa holder. This visa is generally limited to
performance of a specific event or events.
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THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS FOR GENERAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS
NOT INTENDED TO BE LEGAL ADVICE. FOR INFORMATION RELATED TO YOUR
PARTICULAR AREA OF INTEREST, PLEASE CONTACT LAW OFFICES OF JAMES DREW
LAWSON TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
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